All Blacks rampant on their field of dreams
OPINION: Forward pack’s muscular authority set platform for individuals to shine, writes Phil Gifford.
Not revelling in victory too much has served the All Blacks well for decades.
Sam Neill once brilliantly dubbed our film industry the “cinema of unease”, and there’s a touch of that psyche in how our rugby players and fans react to winning test matches.
Perfection in rugby will always be the impossible dream. But the perpetual quest can lead to golden patches, like the first 42 minutes of the All Blacks’ 42-10 win over the Pumas at Eden Park.
Driven by some powerful gusts of wind, sheets of rain swept across ground, but the All Blacks, playing as if the ball was dry, dominated everywhere, running in six tries, all converted, no matter how wide the angle, by Damian McKenzie.
Amongst Kiwi rugby people though, there will be concern about the last 38 minutes, when the only points came from an Argentinian try.
But perhaps before we all get too bogged with forensic detail, let’s pause long enough to enjoy the memory of the delights of those opening salvoes, and dare to dream that a similar effort in a fortnight could rattle and tip over the Springboks in Johannesburg.
Let’s hear it for the boys
Before the Eden Park test, some of us were concerned that a simple lack of size, and therefore power, in the All Blacks pack could be a major problem, as it was in the first test in Wellington.
Happily full, muscular All Blacks authority was restored in Auckland. The scrums were so one-sided it was almost embarrassing. The dominance continued at the breakdowns and at lineouts.
Locks Tupou Vaa’i and Sam Darry have only 33 tests between them, with Vaa’i playing 30 of them. But with clever calling, accurate throwing and the secure lifting for Ardie Savea and Ethan Blackadder as variations, the flow of lineout possession was swift and sure.
Vaa’i, still only 24, has come of age at test level, and Darry looks born for internationals. Suddenly the locking situation, which looked thin at the start of the winter, has huge promise.
Man of the match
Many extremely worthy contenders, but Savea gets my vote.
From the first whistle it was clear that the only way the Pumas might have stopped Savea’s rampaging bursts would be if they’d come on the field armed with six-guns.
Savea quietly noted at the aftermatch press conference he was “really tired”. It was a reflection of his extraordinary commitment. I’ve never seen a more exhausted-looking All Blacks loose forward since 1996, when, in the Pretoria changing shed after victory in a series-winning test with the Springboks, Josh Kronfeld could barely lift his arm to shake hands with well-wishers.
Savea has always been dynamic on attack, but he reached new levels at Eden Park, where it always took at least two men to pull him down.
Close behind Savea in the playing-his-heart-out stakes was Blackadder, who online trolls have targeted since his return to the black jersey. Eighteen tackles, excellent lineout work and expert carrying of the ball showed just why Robertson values Blackadder so much.
Everything starts up front
Front-foot ball, as it does at every level of rugby, was the key to how the All Blacks won in Auckland. It’s a fact coach Scott Robertson needs no reminding of. At their best, his Crusaders teams could make hugely gifted opposing backs look average by making sure they only got the ball while back-pedalling.
Winning in Johannesburg in a fortnight against the Springboks had loomed as possibly a hill too high to climb. But the levels of staunchness and expertise at Eden Park from every forward suggested the battle is far from a forgone conclusion.
Keep smiling
Almost lost in the discussions around Damian McKenzie’s play at first fiveeighths has been his achievements as a goal-kicker. His six-out-of-six effort on Saturday night helped bring his tally in five tests this year to 74 points. Given the furore over him being denied a shot against England in Dunedin last month for taking too much time lining up to kick, it was a pleasure to see how he’s maintained the conspiratorial little grin before running in to the ball. His golden touch could be vital in South Africa.
A class act
Felipe Contepomi was a great player for the Pumas and now, as the coach of the team, he’s a class act too. Given every chance to seek excuses after the Eden Park loss he noted that: “They [the All Blacks] did the ABCs better than us. Full stop.”
Still the field of dreams
On a nasty, wet night, just over 40,000 people turned out to see the All Blacks win their 50th consecutive test on Eden Park. After the match, veteran Sam Cane said: “It [Eden Park] feels like our spiritual home as All Blacks.”